A Life Of Love, Laughter, Faith And Hope, As I Learn To Live Again With A Rare Disease
Some challenges in life hit us so hard, as we never saw them coming. Such challenges don't allow us the luxury of preparing ahead of time. They give no warning. They simply arrive! My "acute" spinal collapse , would prove to be one of the hardest challenges I have ever faced, and I've documented a … Continue reading Hard Work In Hospital
A week ago I had yet another spinal MRI, my second in three months. Something new happened on the left side of my lumbar spine a few weeks ago, which caused a massive increase in my disability. I can no longer stand for more than 5 or 10 mins at a time, even using aides, … Continue reading An Honest Chat With My Specialist….It Just Can’t Be Fixed!
Many of us who have had multiple abdominal surgeries can find we later have issues with adhesions. I was reminded of this the other day when I was talking to someone about my story. I was further reminded yesterday of my abdominal adhesions, when I spent 8 hours in crippling pain, due to a bowel/stoma … Continue reading A Sticky Story!!
I can’t believe the 11th November 2020, marks 7 years since my life changing colostomy surgery. My stoma, affectionately called Rudolph, is now 7 years old! For those of you without a stoma it may seem a strange thing to celebrate. While it was life changing, it was also life saving and I will be … Continue reading Happy 7th Birthday To My Stoma….Otherwise Known As Rudolph
Have you looked at your Calendar at the start of a month and thought to yourself, " What on earth was I thinking. I can't possibly do all that!" I'm sure I'm not alone in this exclamation. As I scrolled through my calendar on my phone for the month ahead, I felt physically sick. It … Continue reading Calendar Chaos
You know that feeling when you are completing a jigsaw puzzle only to find that a piece is missing? It’s a devastating moment. Your stomach turns just a little. All that work, all that effort, all that anticipation of a final outcome. A completed picture was the awaiting reward but it’s been snatched away from … Continue reading Finding Your Way Through A Chronic Illness Conundrum
Only 3 months ago I was writing about how "surgery can't come soon enough" We knew even then there was a risk of surgery failing. We knew my bone disease was behaving erratically and had a mind of its own. Despite the risks of surgery failure we just didn't have a choice. We had to … Continue reading Here We Go Again…..Spinal Surgery Take Two!
I'm a week post L4/L5 laminectomy and decompression surgery. I've been home from hospital for 5 days and the road to recovery has begun. Well sort of. I really feel like I'm still in survival mode. My Surgeon tells me we did the right thing proceeding with this surgery. My spinal cord was severely compressed … Continue reading The Spinal Surgery Recovery Road
My Spinal Specialist appointment went well. I think that's the best description under the circumstances. I managed to walk to his office using my walker and I thought I was doing well. As I entered his room I smiled as brightly as possible. However the pain in my eyes and my inability to move faster … Continue reading Surgery Can’t Come Soon Enough!
How many times have you said, "No worries, that's as easy as......." I know I've said it countless times during my life. In fact that's how I used to live my life. Everything was seemingly easy and if it wasn't I could quickly convince myself it was. I had a positive can do, absolutely, yes … Continue reading It’s Never As Easy As……
